Sunday, December 16, 2012

I was standing on the dock behind Belvedere Castle. I really wanted to
paint the castle, as a week ago I got all set up then the rain started-
way earlier than the hourly forecast said it would-
of course I didn't have my umbrella. I would have stayed except the
paint wouldn't adhere to my panel, I was so mad. So last Friday I went
back to the same spot but the angle of the sun made the castle
impossible...so I painted Turtle Pond instead.

I think I dropped something in the pond by accident but I'm not sure
what...I thought it was one of my solvent jar lids- the ones that Ben
Haggett packs with his boxes...turns out it wasn't, thankfully- whatever
it was sank so fast I couldn't tell what it was....nothing seems to be
missing so hopefully it was just an old crusty oil paint-laden paper
towel.

Friday, December 14, 2012

What can I possibly say about what happened in Newtown today? It is just beyond inhuman and unimaginable.

Newtown CT is my hometown, I haven't been there for years but even so it is definitely one of my most favorite places on the planet. It is a wonderful beautiful peaceful pre-Revolutionary war New England town. Nothing ever happens there, and I am in such shock and grief about what happened today. Every time I hear about one of these tragic shootings I am sad but today I am really grieving, it's hit a very personal nerve. Especially since I have a daughter in second grade. It's too close to home because, well, it is home. Newtown doesn't deserve to go down in history for something so infamous and offensive to humanity.

I just can't stop thinking about all those families who lost children.